Operations

LimoLive24 Refines Dispatch And Customer Service For Limo Operators

LimoLive24 is not a just a call center for chauffeur operations, but also a full-service reservation and dispatch center that can handle customer problems. The Las Vegas-based company, founded in 2006, employs local workers and phone receptionists who all speak English and are well trained in the nuances of the limo business, says new accounts manager Arnie Adamsen.

“The biggest concern I find with limo operators is they want to make sure they maintain control,” Adamsen says. “The limousine business is such a severe task manager. It extracts a big toll on their personal life and business life, and they hesitate to give up control.” LimoLive24 provides reception assistance to operators during off hours and also for overflow calls, so operators can take some time to sleep or work on other management issues.

The company offers a 10-day trial period with operators. During the initial partnership, LimoLive24 goes over a three-page questionnaire to make sure that any type of call is handled exactly the way the operator wants. “We don’t just answer phones,” Adamsen says. “We quote, book, modify, and assist in fleet management and customer service.”

The company has clients that range from small operators with one or two cars to larger operations with upwards of 60 fleet vehicles. The value is in the cost of LimoLive24 service compared to the employee wages an operator would have to pay for 24/7 in-house reservations and dispatch staff. LimoLive24 can handle that, plus any spikes in calls, all in one service.

Limo Business Experienced

The original founders of LimoLive24 were limo operators from California who saw the need for a 24-hour service that would keep reservations from falling through the cracks, Adamsen says. The company has a client roster of hundreds of limo companies, he says, and has streamlined processes that meet the individual demands of clients. “Every [operator] runs differently. We have to get in there and understand how each operator manages so we can put it together to train our agents.”

During the 10-day trail period, employees review every facet of how the partnering limo company likes to do business, says Lisa Harding, operations manager for LimoLive24. “We ask everything, and adapt our services based on their instructions. Some will have us offer 10% discounts to book now, or sign up for certain web programs for discounts, or loyalty points. We can adapt to pretty much every aspect of marketing and revenue creation that occurs in the limo industry.”

Services for LimoLive24 are offered in prepaid minute packages per month, starting with 100 minutes for $155, and going up to 10,000 minutes. Outbound calls from LimoLive24 are free, and any call under 40 seconds is off the bill, with 8.3 minutes as the cap billing for each call. “There are those people who love to tell you their life story when they make a limo reservation,” Adamsen jokes. “So we pay for anything over 500 seconds, and that makes us unique. We understand the limo business and all the associated headaches.”

Keeping Informed With An Evolving Industry

Adamsen, a frequent visitor to industry trade shows for LimoLive24, says it’s important to stay connected to the industry and know what’s going on and what’s new. “We’ve seen the industry go through some very tough times. We’re excited to see the business picking up across the boards universally.” LimoLive24 is also a supporter of the National Limousine Association (NLA) whose staff has presented at many industry events, including the recent AMProd tour showcasing limo vendors from across the country.

The client testimonials Adamsen hears give him a lot of satisfaction. “We’ve had clients who have said, ‘Thank you for giving us our lives back.’ And another said, ‘I finally get to sleep through the night.’ And they love the fact that it’s a live person answering the phones on their behalf, and they notice that revenues increase.”

For operators who struggle with work/life balance, the task of putting into place an infrastructure that never misses a reservation can be difficult, Adamsen says. The three-month training period for each LimoLive24 receptionist helps ensure that the customer service provided is exactly how the operator would want it. The receptionists use a web-based software program that pulls up the detailed notes on each operator’s preferences so they can relay accurate information on every customer call.

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